


Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season)

by postmodern_robot



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, hula-hooping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-08 23:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1960605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postmodern_robot/pseuds/postmodern_robot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Touya Kouyou needs a 15 stone handicap for flirting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mmmdraco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/gifts).



> Written to fill a request for how Touya Akira’s parents met. Even though they don’t appear together often in the manga, they still come across as such a sweet pair and I really hope I’ve done them justice. Enjoy!

**Ichigaya, Japan – 1984**  
 _Spring_

 

For Touya Kouyou, all days were the same - whether it rained or snowed, whether the air was filled with smog or was crisp and clean, it made no difference to him.  He did not stop to pay attention to blooming flowers, nor could any noise distract him.  He only ever saw one thing, which engulfed everything.  For him, the world was black and white; or rather, black and white burned into brown, like sacred ink and spaces on vellum that was stored in an equally sacred temple.  

Equating the world to the goban, and the necessary interactions of life into go’s black and white stones came naturally to Kouyou.  Perhaps it was because he had begun playing go at a very young age.  It was the only way he had found to bond with his seemingly distant father. His father indulged in go as a pastime, but otherwise was always busy and distracted, working hard to support his family.  After this early immersion into the go world, Kouyou found that life and the game were very similar. After all, living was a series of strategies within strategies to reach your goals. Sometimes someone would surprise and challenge you, but nothing was truly insurmountable if one followed the game.

Kouyou knew that what separated him from his opponents was his ability to live, breathe and think the game. At the age of thirty-two, he was already a 6-dan with three national championships under his belt and was currently working towards his next one.

It was within this world of brown, black and white – rather, that of eternal fall and winter – that Touya Kouyou pushed open the door of the Go Institute, ready to leave for the day, and noticed that it was spring.

Or rather, he noticed her, and everything else from the sharp colors, bright sunlight and his pounding heart followed soon after.

It was difficult to explain why she caught his eye, especially in that particular neighborhood. The Japanese Go Institute’s main building was in Ichigaya, a fairly typical mixed residential and professional area, but there was hardly anything in its blocky façade that could inspire love stories or life changing visions. Perhaps it was simply a matter of timing. They had both opened the doors to their buildings and looked up at the same time, leading to a very brief moment of eye contact before he dropped his eyes, nervous and surprised.

She had the kindest eyes he had ever seen, and a gentle and bright smile, which made him think that she must have just thought of something wonderful right as she opened the door.

Blinking, Kouyou looked up again, but now he stared at the trees in front of the opposite building. They were skinny, unkempt and had never made an impression on him in the countless times his gaze had swept over them before; but suddenly, they were strangely alive with what seemed like over a hundred shades of green, reaching for the sun in this concrete world. He looked up to the sky and noted dozens of birds flying far above him across a blue and somewhat grey backdrop, which made him breathe deeply and discover that it smelled like rain; earthy and fresh. It was spring, and life was beginning anew. He knew that the snow had long since melted - had noticed it because it meant a different set of clothes and changes to his daily routine - but today was the first time he could remember a season feeling important.

The wind suddenly picked up, bringing with it a refreshing chill. Before Kouyou dared to look at her again, she had already moved out of sight. She left him with a question in his mind, whose heavy significance, he could not explain: “What had made her smile?”

The question softly took root in his mind and began to grow.

 

* * *

 

“I’m so envious of you Akiko-san! Taking half a day off! It’s unlike you though.”

Ishibashi Akiko turned from packing her bag. Though the question was intrusive, she smiled at her colleague out of habit. “It’s hardly a holiday, Kasumi-san. I need to help my mother bring my father home from the hospital.”

“Oh my goodness! I didn’t know he was in the hospital Akiko-san! I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope he is well!”

Akiko brought her hands up in a placating manner to reassure her colleague. She and Kasumi were a minority in the office – they were the only two women there, but their office was a small one. There was still a sense of novelty to having them there that they both felt from the others. It was 1984 after all, and Akiko and Kasumi were part of that first generation of women who made up the workforce in any major number. Kasumi did not question Akiko’s reluctance to take a whole day off. Even though both women worked extraordinarily hard, they knew that they were held to higher standards for less recognition than the rest of their colleagues. Akiko’s sudden emergency would definitely be held against her.

“Well, he only injured himself earlier today.” Akiko explained. “I didn’t even realize that they went to the hospital until my mother called me just now. Anyway, I really should be going.”

“Of course! I hope everything is alright!”

With a smile and nod, Akiko left the office and made her way to the elevator. While waiting patiently, she could not help but break out into a mirthful grin. She had made sure she escaped the conversation quickly enough to avoid explaining the rather ridiculous way her father injured himself, because she was sure the office would have fired her for laughing. Akiko loved her father, and though she was worried about him, the particular circumstances of his injury were so very like him that she could not contain her amusement.

After a sharp ‘ting’, the empty elevator’s doors opened and Akiko gratefully stepped inside. Once the doors closed she burst out laughing, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her father had always been his own person and so different from the other members of his family. He was highly curious, which was a good trait for an engineer, but often his curiosity led him into silly situations. Akiko’s mother was a patient woman, more serious in nature, but prone to surprisingly loud laughter after any of her husband’s antics.

As children, both had survived the fright and hunger prevalent in Japan during the Second World War. Blockades had prevented food and other essential resources from coming into the country, and Tokyo was frequently bombed by the Allied forces. Her mother often said that her father must have been a terror for his mother, wandering out at the worst probable times, or sticking any odd thing into his mouth. Her father returned such fond teasing by saying that his wife, even as a young child, must have been the rock of her family.

However, post-war Japan turned out to be the ideal environment for her father and his curiosity. When he entered adulthood and began his career it was the 1950s and Tokyo was booming – the perfect place for an innovative engineer. It was also in the 1950s that her father first saw the item that led to his rather unfortunate, yet amusing predicament today – the hula-hoop.

He often told the story of how he had been walking to work one day, when he passed a small park to see a young woman in a kimono laughing and swinging a thin hoop in circles around her waist. He found this image so odd that he felt compelled to take a closer look. In the end he concluded that this must be some new form of exercise or dancing, and that the Americans must have brought it in. It also looked so fun! He wanted to try as well! Unfortunately, the woman noticed him staring and walked away.

“And then!” her father would moan. “After all my efforts to find out what that hoop was, it got banned! Honestly why all the fuss?! It didn’t look indecent to me! Inappropriate hip movement and moral improprieties...hah! I worry more about the man who even thought that! How could anyone think that hula-hooping is obscene?”

Akiko supposed the ban on the toy must have recently been lifted. There was no other explanation for why her father had suddenly obtained a hula-hoop after complaining all these years. Unfortunately for him, hula-hooping was a much more strenuous activity for a man of 62 years than he could ever have imagined and in his excitement, he threw out his back.

She could easily picture her father, with his graying hair, thick-framed glasses and lined face scrunched in concentration as he gyrated his hips around comically, trying to make the hoop stay up. She could hear her mother laughing and then trying her best to control herself as she helped her husband to the hospital.

In fact her mother still sounded much too amused when she called her earlier that day.

“I know you feel that your work is important Akiko-chan, but surely no one is going to object to a daughter helping her old father home from the hospital! You’re our only child, after all.”

Akiko sighed over her mother’s attempt at guilt-tripping her. “Of course I’m going to help Mother, this is serious. But please do respect that they will hold anything against me as proof of being lesser than some of my co-workers.”

“Akiko-chan, I do worry about you.” Her mother responded, voice soft and concerned. “I know you work hard to support your father and myself, but it does wear you out, and takes all your time away from finding happiness or a husband. Once you marry, you can leave all the work to him and you won’t need to be alone anymore.” Her mother always stated these opinions with a calm voice, expecting them to be soothing. For her, they were facts.

“I’ll see you in the hospital,” Akiko replied diplomatically.

It was always frustrating to be confronted with the fact that her mother thought of her work as a secondary priority. Akiko was their only surviving child, twenty-five and single. This meant that her mother was the lone woman in her group of friends who was not expecting grandchildren anytime soon. Marriage was her mother’s priority, and with each passing year, the pressure only increased.

On a regular day, Akiko would have dwelled on her frustration for some time, but today, the thought of an overly curious father and a deceitfully dangerous hula-hoop distracted her and made her smile fondly.

This thought occupied her mind as she pushed open the door of her building and locked eyes with a man who was leaving the building on the opposite side of the street at the exact same time.

What a serious face and penetrating gaze! Something in his intimidating bearing made her think that he looked like a person who saw everything, observant down to the tiniest detail. A curious man, with a mind made to read the world around him, to study people and understand their motivations. A man who was like a rock, weathered and solid.

‘Oh no! I must be staring!’ she quickly thought to herself, dropping her gaze and walking hurriedly to the sidewalk. Even though in reality, Akiko only looked at the man for just a few seconds, it felt longer. Now on the familiar path to her bus, Akiko distracted herself from thinking about who she had seen (and the embarrassment) by focusing on what she had seen. Even though Akiko worked across the street from the Japanese Go Institute, she never paid much attention to it before. For her, go was a game that old people played. She never took much interest because she could not imagine watching a whole game. They were usually too long and she could not understand the moves enough to appreciate it fully. Akiko had even less of an inclination to ever play.

Looking up, she saw her bus arriving, and with her mind suddenly reverting to hula-hoops, she smiled and boarded.

 

* * *

 

_Summer - 1984_

As the days passed from spring into the height of summer, Kouyou made sure to savor the world around him. He noted its colors, the sensation of wind and heat against skin, and the taste of cool foods. This conscious awareness of the world had become a new exercise for him after that one sunny spring day when he had first seen her.

Kouyou had known for a while that his game needed a small revolution to reach the next peak. He did not expect to find it in a chance glance at a smiling face. Though he was still adjusting to his new style of play, he was happy to invest time into it, sensing that he would obtain great revelations on this journey. This was one of the reasons why he loved go – the constant striving, self-improvement and strengthening of mind and character.

As much as Kouyou was excited and optimistic about his new abilities, he was equally excited, yet also rather nervous, about opening the Go Institute’s doors each day. The woman had stayed in his mind ever since that day, as well as the question of what made her smile.

Now that he was more observant of the office building across the street, he had seen her a few more times. Kouyou wanted to find a way to introduce himself, but at each opportunity he would hesitate for too long. In fact, this particular scenario had just repeated itself. He had come into the institute earlier than usual, as was now his pattern, and saw her walking to work. While he stood there, overcome with indecision on what exactly to do, she walked into her building and, once again, his chance to speak to her was gone. Kouyou knew that this process would likely repeat itself in the evening, as he left the institute late with the hopes of catching her again on her way out.

Why was it that for all its intensity and complication, go was never this difficult?

This whole situation with this woman was getting ridiculous, even to himself. He was a grown man, but his hesitancy came from not having confidence to speak to a stranger with no common affiliation. Kouyou and this woman whom he desperately wished to know only shared a common street…surely that would only be cause for the worst conversation possible.

He could imagine it now.

“Good day Miss! Is the street not rather pleasant and clean today?”

Stupid.

 

* * *

 

As she walked through the doors to her office, Akiko steeled herself for another long day.

She was worried about mid-year accounts, performance reviews, her father and her boss’s strict attitude lately. About two months had passed since her father’s rather unlikely hula-hooping accident and his back was now much better. He seemed more embarrassed than in pain, but he would no longer be able to lift heavy objects. His condition saddened Akiko. He was now retired and had no idea what to do with himself except indulge in his curious nature. However, his aging bones, and now this injury, severely limited the extent of any physical hobbies. She and her mother knew that they needed to find some new and safe activity for him, but so far, good ideas had eluded them.

Looking up, she noticed a now familiar figure standing in the periphery of her vision, distracting her thoughts. He was wearing a hakama as usual. His clothes, combined with his stern face, made him look like someone from another time. Still, he never looked threatening, even though he did not smile. Somehow, he seemed like a gentle man. Perhaps it was only her imagination.

In these instances, Akiko always wanted to initiate some kind of a greeting but that would surely be too forward. Strangers did not greet each other like that, and yet he no longer felt like a stranger to her. She would have liked to forget him and think of him as just another passerby on the street but it was impossible. Her father now had a daily tendency to curse hula-hoops and any mention of that innocent toy would now remind her of the man, inevitably leading to an unbidden image of that stern face hula-hooping in that hakama. This ridiculous image always made her smile.

When she finally left her office in the late evening, despite her exhaustion, Akiko found herself staring once more at the opposite building.

To her, the Japanese Go Institute was a fortress behind whose gates were kept the remnants of an old world, now long gone. It suddenly made her think of her father and his reminisces about a Japan that even he could barely remember. As she gazed upon the building, despite its modern and square architecture, she felt a stirring of her father’s longing for the pride and elegance of the past.

Akiko’s father spoke about his early pre-war childhood often and fondly. He missed the feeling of belonging to a proud tradition and the resulting strong sense of community. Akiko’s mother meanwhile, was seven years younger than her father and was born after the outbreak of the war. She preferred to remember less.

While Akiko stared at those gates, an idea came to her and she smiled brightly. Her father needed something non-physical to keep himself and his ever-curious mind occupied. In his old age he was nostalgic for the past. What lay behind those gates was the answer.

Akiko was still convinced that she would be hopeless at go, and she would probably continue to find it boring, but nonetheless, she was sure that her father would love it.

 

* * *

 

_Autumn 1984_

“I resign,” The light-haired man sighed. He was clearly frustrated, but that was normal for Ogata. His passion for the game tended to leak out easily. Kouyou knew that his student had trouble controlling his emotions when it came to go, but he was still young and had time to learn.

Kouyou nodded. “You played an inspired game. I see that you were taking risks today, leaving your comfort zone and experimenting with different strategies. That is good. Shall we review the game?”

Ogata agreed somewhat sulkily and together, they walked through the game step-by-step.

Summer had passed and with it, Kouyou felt more confident with his improved technique. Additionally, he found that his newfound outlook on life helped him connect better on a personal level with people. This time last year, mentoring Ogata Seiji was difficult. The new pro had sought him out and convinced Kouyou to take him on through sheer tenacity. However, the two were very different in personality, which led to difficulties in communication. There were often times when Kouyou was convinced that Ogata understood him, only to find out eventually that his student’s interpretation was completely alien to Kouyou’s own realm of reasoning.

Now however, it was easier to understand Ogata’s mental process. In response, Ogata’s game improved considerably and the two managed to build a genuine personal rapport. While Kouyou would never go as far as to join the younger man on his regular party schedule during the weekends, he was happy to chat over tea. In fact, tea had become a tradition of theirs after a mentoring session, where Ogata would usually speak about his efforts to build a natural ecosystem in his tropical fish tank.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Touya-Sensei,” Ogata started, while blowing out smoke from his cigarette. “You’ve been happier recently. Your game has completely changed as well. I notice it started sometime around May. It was chaotic at first but now, I feel like a beginner again, playing against you. What changed?”

Kouyou thought about his answer for a moment, before answering. “I suppose you could say…I was inspired one day and I wanted to further develop as a player.” Kouyou did not really know how else to explain it.

“Inspiration. How does one go about finding inspiration to reach the perfect game?” Ogata mused.

“Well,” Kouyou smiled ruefully. He knew that Ogata would not like his answer. “I suppose inspiration can come from any place, but it certainly has a better chance of coming to you when you’re not looking for it.”

That evening as Kouyou left the institute, he again looked at the building across the street out of habit, hoping to see a now familiar face. He felt terribly awkward and invasive thinking of her, and this process of adjusting his schedule in the hope of seeing her again felt like stalking. Though by now he was more comfortable speaking to people, even occasionally on subjects other than go, he still could not muster the courage to say a simple hello to one kind-faced, smiling woman.

Suddenly the door opened and there she was! Kouyou had a rush of deja-vu as he looked at her standing there with the door leaning against her arm. Then the unthinkable happened – her eyes widened, her face took on a look of recognition and then she smiled at him!

Quickly, Kouyou looked behind him and noticed that no one was there. That could only mean that she did indeed recognize him! When he looked back she was hurrying down the sidewalk. Taking a deep breath, Kouyou gathered his courage and started down the street. Finally!

“Touya-Sensei!”

Kouyou stopped and spun around in surprise. “Ogata-san, what is it?!”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I only wanted to catch you before you left. You left these behind by accident.”

Kouyou quickly took the papers from Ogata’s hands and turned back around to face the street, but she was gone.

Frowning in frustration, Kouyou looked down to see what Ogata had interrupted him for - game records. He sighed. Somehow he was convinced that it would be difficult for any game in these books to match the excitement and adrenaline rush he had just experienced.

 

* * *

 

Akiko was having a good day. It was a light work day, which meant that she could leave in the early rather than late evening. Additionally, the atmosphere in her home had been much brighter ever since her brilliant idea of introducing her father to go.

It was, rather, a re-introduction. He already knew how to play the game, but had not done so for a long time. All she had to do was to buy him a goban and new stones. Her mother had even begun playing with him and they spent their days relearning the game together. Akiko found that she was still an indifferent player; but, now that she was beginning to understand some concepts as explained by her parents, it was easier to watch a game.

Neither of them had the confidence to go to a public go club yet, but Akiko was hoping that eventually she could take them to the Go Institute across the street from her workplace. That way she could take them out for lunch occasionally and also trust that they had a community around them, rather than sitting holed up at home.

If she were forced to be honest though, she wanted an excuse to see the inside of the Go Institute as well. She saw the outside of it often enough. Since her parents had become go enthusiasts, she made it a habit to buy them the relevant go magazines occasionally. As these were now lying around her house, it was only a matter of time until she opened one and discovered a familiar face...a face which now had a name.

Touya Kouyou.

There were other things listed about him, such as his ranking and the number of championships he had won, but she was more interested in the man himself. Now that the hula-hoop man had a name, she felt like he was less of a stranger.

This was the only reason she could give herself for her slip as she opened the door and saw him once again, catching her gaze from across the street. Without thinking, she smiled in recognition. When he looked confused and turned around, Akiko felt her cheeks blush furiously and she quickly dropped her face and hurried down the street.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ She thought to herself. ‘You don’t know him! At most you’re one of many go fans and you don’t even play go! Besides, look at him! He’s dressed in a hakama every time you see him. He’s probably very old-fashioned! What are the odds that he would be interested in a modern working woman like you?’

Most of the men she met were patronizing and unsupportive of her desire to have a career, which despite whatever her mother tried to say, Akiko planned to do even if she got married. This was the main reason why she was still single and she was tired of dealing with this prejudice in her life. She had to defend herself at work, with the men she met and even at home with her mother. Therefore, Akiko suspected that this infatuation with Touya Kouyou would only lead to further frustration and disappointment.

With that hurtful thought in mind, and embarrassment burning her cheeks, she continued hurriedly to her stop.

 

* * *

 

_Winter 1984_

Kouyou was always amazed at how quickly a year could pass. Still, as far as years went, this had been the most significant to his personal growth. He now felt a greater appreciation for life and was looking forward to what the new year could bring.

His only regret was that he had not ignored Ogata those few months ago and just caught up with the woman to finally say ‘hello’! He had not seen her since, or at least, not alone. She was always coming or leaving with a group of colleagues and never once looked his way again. He began to believe that he must have imagined her smiling at him.

As he walked into the Go Institute’s public salon, he noticed two new faces. They were elderly, with the man beyond retirement age and the woman, whom Kouyou assumed to be the man’s wife, maybe around a decade younger than him. They were looking around with curiosity and whispering excitedly to each other, even as they played.

Kouyou smiled. It was always nice to see newcomers, especially such excited ones. He went over to welcome them.

The husband looked up when he noticed Kouyou approaching and must have recognized him, because he began gesturing excitedly to his wife. She raised her head and smiled slightly, nodding. Kouyou almost stopped because there was something in the man’s smile and the woman’s eyes that struck him as familiar, but he was certain that he had not met them before, so he continued.

“Good day,” he bowed deeply. “I notice you are new here. Please let me introduce myself; I am Touya Kouyou. Welcome to the Go Institute. I hope that you are enjoying yourselves.”

The elderly man smiled and they both stood to bow in return. “I have heard of you, Touya Kouyou! I am Ishibashi Kiku, and this is my wife, Ishibashi Wakana.”

As the three sat again, they fell into easy chatter. The man was a retiree and he and his wife had started playing go as a new hobby earlier in the year. It was actually their daughter’s idea, whom they were waiting for to take them to lunch. Many other topics were discussed until a pleasant voice interrupted them.

“Father! Mother! I hope that you’re both in the mood for Hokkaido Hotpot! It’s so cold outside and there’s a good place down on the corner!”

When Kouyou looked up towards the new voice, he found himself stunned into disbelief. This woman, the Ishibashi daughter, she was the woman! And now she was looking at him again with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open in shock.

This was the closest he had ever seen her. He could see the flush on her cheeks from the outside cold and the sprinkles of white snow dusting her slightly wavy hair at her shoulders. It was no wonder her parents had looked familiar.

Suddenly they both realized that they were gaping at each other, and they bowed hastily. This was their first time meeting officially, after all.

“H-Hello, I am Touya Kouyou.” He knew that he sounded nervous and jittery, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Touya-san. I am Ishibashi Akiko. Thank you for keeping my parents company while they waited for me.” And there it was again, that beautiful smile.

 

* * *

 

After Akiko walked into the go salon, she spotted her parents fairly quickly and hurried over to them. It was so cold out that she could only think of how wonderful Hokkaido Hotpot sounded!

When Akiko finally looked up, she could not believe what she saw.

Why did Touya Kouyou look so surprised? But despite this, he also looked happy, as if he could not quite believe something. Perhaps she was only projecting onto him, because despite knowing he was here on most days, she had not expected to actually run into him like this. It was so different seeing him up close! She could see now that she had not been imagining his gentle nature.

Oh dear, she standing with her mouth open and not saying anything. How embarrassing!

After their introduction, she let out a sigh of relief. He was so polite and charming! He also appeared genuinely interested in ensuring that her parents enjoyed their time at the salon. Akiko was so happy that she did not feel annoyed at her mother’s sudden, hopeful expression.

 

* * *

 

_1985 and onwards..._

In the year that followed their fumbling and eventual meeting, Kouyou continued to see Akiko across the street. Except now, he reveled in the fact that they could greet each other openly without embarrassment.

It was with a spring in his step that he greeted her pleasantly every morning, which eventually led to a daily routine of meeting her for breakfast before she went to work. Sometimes they would also have lunch together, with her parents or just the two of them if the elders decided not to attend the go salon that day. Often when Akiko worked late, Kouyou would offer to accompany her parents home. It was a small thing, but he knew that it must be difficult for her to work so hard, and it was clear that her career was important to her, so he wanted to help in whatever way he could. Besides, the Ishibashis were lovely people, and he enjoyed their stories and their company.

This eventually graduated into Kouyou joining the Ishibashis for dinners, which in turn led to them attending his games. As his acquaintance with Akiko deepened, so did their conversations about each others’ life goals and desires.

At first Kouyou felt guilty that he was obviously looking for excuses to see her and he over-questioned himself when he offered to coach her parents in go over dinner one evening. Was he being manipulative or overly forward? However, the routine with Akiko and the Ishibashis soon felt quite natural. Somehow they quickly and easily fit into each other’s lives.

“I notice that you’ve been coaching my parents more often recently.” She pleasantly remarked once over breakfast.

Startled, Kouyou tried to hide his face behind his cup of tea. Why did his heart have to beat so fast at such an innocent observation? He was a grown man, this was ludicrous. Without looking at her, he tried to answer as neutrally as possible. “Your father is looking to improve his offensive game because your mother is surprisingly adept at attacking for someone who has not played for a long time and they are quite competitive really and...” he was rambling.

He stopped, took a sip of tea and savored the fresh taste for a moment while gathering courage and trying to compose himself. “Please, if I am intruding on your family time, or disrupting your day in any way with my presence, please inform me. If I am causing any trouble, I am sorry. I only meant to be of assistance.”

A brief silence passed after he trailed off, and he could hear the smile curled around her lips as she softly responded. “Kouyou-san, I was about to say thank you.”

At that, Kouyou looked up, surprised, then he felt relieved and foolish all at once because the blush on her cheeks and her warm smile made it clear that his presence was welcome.

“Truly Kouyou-san, I don’t believe you know how much you have helped. I used to always worry about them being bored at home and stuck there. Sometimes they would get lonely and call me at work, and when I couldn’t listen to them or their stories as much as I wanted to, I felt terribly guilty. But it’s better now, because they have something that they love to do, and you’re a wonderful listener. So thank you.”

He noticed then,in the slight strain around her eyes and the faint beginnings of worry lines on her forehead, just how much she must have carried on her shoulders alone all this time. He deeply admired that despite how hard she had to work to prove herself in her job and to provide for the needs of her parents, Akiko always maintained her kindness, curiosity and energetic approach to life.

In that moment, Kouyou realized with sudden, shocking clarity that he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her smile.

From that day on, they only grew closer.

Still, he always wondered about that first day he saw her – what had made her smile then? Kouyou was convinced that it would solve the larger question behind their meeting – what had made that moment so perfect that it had changed his entire outlook on life?

By the end of the year he learned to dismiss the question, because it was the wrong question. Perhaps after all, it was his inability to determine what made the moment so perfect which was the whole point of this lesson, that the world and the lives within it did not actually live by the patterns and rules of the goban. He did not need a precise reason for why he loved this woman; all that mattered was that he clearly did.

However, a year later, not long after he had proposed and just when he’d given up on ever finding out what had caused that particular smile, Akiko finally, spontaneously, revealed the secret.

The wedding of Touya Kouyou and Touya Akiko was unforgettable. It featured the best names in the go world happily hula-hooping with abandon, much to the concern and amusement of the bride’s father.

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The song from which this fic takes its name is a 60s hit by the Byrds. Please join me in smiling with it [ here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vM)
> 
> 2\. This fic took a significant turn after I found out that Japan banned the hula-hoop soon after its introduction in the late 1950s because they were deemed to promote obscene body movements. Quite a few countries, like Russia, did the same. This fic also assumes that the ban was lifted in the mid 80s, around the same time as in Russia.
> 
> 3\. On that note, check out [ this picture ](http://hulahoopers.net/2nd-teset-photo-album/hula-hoop-in-japan/) of a Japanese lady rocking eight hula-hoops and a kimono!
> 
> 4\. Much of this story was written while staring at [this particular Touya Akira smile ](http://hikarunogo.dreamwidth.org/68932.html) for inspiration.
> 
> 5\. Many many thanks to both [caminante](http://archiveofourown.org/users/caminante/) and [hestialuna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hestialuna/) for introducing me to Hikaru no Go and slowly but surely pulling me into this fandom! Thank you as well to both for excellent beta work, encouragement and reassurances over my writing!
> 
> 6\. [Hestialuna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hestialuna/) drew me this amazing and super sweet fanart of Akiko and Kouyou. Thank you Thank you Thank you!


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